Deleting elements

Select MeshEdit from the main menu bar to delete elements. You have the option of instructing Abaqus/CAE to delete any nodes that are left unassociated with any elements once the elements are deleted. If the elements and associated nodes that you are deleting belong to existing element or node sets, those sets are updated accordingly.

Related Topics
What can I do with the Edit Mesh toolset?

  1. Enter the Mesh module.

  2. From the Object field in the context bar, select Part and select a part from the list. This tool is available only for working on orphan mesh elements or for working on elements created using the bottom-up meshing procedure

  3. From the main menu bar, select MeshEdit.

    Abaqus/CAE displays the Edit Mesh dialog box.

    Tip: You can also display the Edit Mesh dialog box using the tool, located at the bottom of the Mesh module toolbox.

  4. In the dialog box, do the following:

    1. In the Category field, select Element.
    2. From the Method list, select Delete.

  5. If you want to delete all nodes that are left unassociated with any elements once the selected elements are deleted, toggle on Delete associated unreferenced nodes in the prompt area.

  6. Select the elements to delete. You can ShiftClick on elements to add them to your selection or CtrlClick on selected elements to remove them from your selection.

    Tip: You can use the Selection toolbar to change the picking behavior. For more information, see Selecting objects within the viewport.

    If you would rather select from a list of existing element sets, do the following:

    1. Click Sets on the right side of the prompt area.

      Abaqus/CAE displays the Region Selection dialog box containing a list of element sets that you have created.

    2. Select the set of elements that you want to delete, and click Continue.

    Note: The default selection method is based on the selection method you most recently employed. To revert to the other method, click Select in Viewport or Sets on the right side of the prompt area.

    Abaqus/CAE displays the selected elements.

  7. When you have finished selecting elements to delete, click mouse button 2.

    Abaqus/CAE deletes the selected elements. In addition, if you toggled on Delete associated unreferenced nodes, Abaqus/CAE also deletes nodes that would be left unassociated with any elements once the selected elements are deleted. The elements and nodes are also removed from any existing sets.

    Tip: If you make a mistake while deleting elements, click Undo in the Edit Mesh dialog box to undo the deletion. Abaqus/CAE restores the deleted element or elements.

  8. Repeat the above steps as often as necessary to delete additional elements.

  9. When you have finished deleting elements, click mouse button 2 or the cancel button in the prompt area to exit the procedure.